Horse Shells (Umagai), from the series "A Selection of Horses (Uma-zukushi)"
- Date:
- 1822
- Medium:
- Color woodblock print; shikishiban, surimono
- Source:
- Art Institute of Chicago
Horse Shells, from the series A Selection of Horses, is a luxurious [surimono](/glossary/surimono) Katsushika Hokusai designed in 1822 to mark the Year of the Horse. The series Uma-zukushi gathered horse-themed images for poetry clubs to celebrate the new year, and each sheet pairs verse with a meticulously printed image. In this design, Hokusai presents a cluster of so-called horse shells, sea shells whose curved profiles resembled horses to Edo connoisseurs, displayed against a quiet ground that emphasizes their sculptural forms. The composition reads as a still life arrangement and yet also as a witty visual pun, in which the natural world reveals an animal hidden inside another animal's name. As a surimono, the sheet was printed in small editions on heavyweight paper using metallic pigments, embossing, and the finest pigments available, far beyond the standard quality of commercial Edo [ukiyo-e](/glossary/ukiyo-e). Even at this restrained scale, Hokusai's draftsmanship is unmistakable: precise contours, controlled gradations, and a sense of weight that gives the shells genuine presence. The Art Institute of Chicago, where this ukiyo-e print resides, holds many of Hokusai's surimono in depth, providing context for collectors studying Katsushika Hokusai's role in shaping the privately printed, poetry-driven branch of Edo ukiyo-e during the late Bunsei period.
1821
Color woodblock print with metallic pigments; surimono shikishiban
1822
Color woodblock print; shikishiban, surimono
c. 1832
Color woodblock print; oban
1820
Color woodblock printed book, one volume
Wakasa Kugushiko
1920
Color woodblock print; oban
Woodblock print
1934
Color woodblock print; oban
n.d.
Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Horse Shells (Umagai), from the series "A Selection of Horses (Uma-zukushi)" was created by Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾北斎) in 1822.
Horse Shells (Umagai), from the series "A Selection of Horses (Uma-zukushi)" depicts landscapes.